ABSTRACT

Aim:

Most common sites of injury in patients with posttraumatic olfactory dysfunction are the ol-factory bulbs and tracts followed by the inferior frontal lobes and volumes of bulb and tract were smaller in these patients. Also during the frontal lesion resections there is increased injury risk for olfactory structures in this region. This study aimed to provide direct normal morphometical in-formation regarding dimensions of olfactory bulb, tract, trigon and sulcus.

Materials and Methods:

80 basal surfaces of forty adult cadaveric brains were evaluated. The following parameters were measured using digital caliper: olfactory bulb length and width, olfac-tory tract height and width, distance between anterior border of the olfactory bulb and posterior border of the olfactory trigon, the olfactory sulcus depth and the length of olfactory tract.

Results:

Means of the distance between anterior border of the olfactory bulb and posterior bor-der of the olfactory trigon and length of olfactory tract were measured as 42.5±8.45 mm and 25.53±7.11 mm, consequently. Also means of olfactory bulb length and width, olfactory tract he-ight and width were 13.22±3.14 mm, 4.87±1.83 mm, 1.97±1.86 mm and 2.87±2.64 mm, consequ-ently. The mean of the olfactory sulcus depth was obtained as 9.91±2.87 mm.

Conclusion:

Precise knowledge regarding the normal anatomic features of the olfactory bulb, tract, trigon and sulcus and their morphometrical relations are important during treatment of frontotemporal lesions and during pterional approaches. Normal anatomical features and dimen-sions of the olfactory bulb and tract are also helpful during decision about damage of these struc-tures.